Bundle and method of producing the same



Oct. 22, 1946. J. B. FREAR BUNDLE AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME Filed July 29, 1944 man/142 53.

' I mar/11 s Patented Oct. 22, 1946 BUNDLE METHOD OF PRODUCIN THE SAME Jenness B. Frear, Evanston, Ill., assignor to Signode Steel Strapping Company, Chicago, Ill.,

acorporation of Delaware Application July 29, 1944., Serial No. 547,229

My invention relates to improvements in bundles and the preferred method of producing them, with particular reference to use in connection with the preparation of ingots for handling and shipment.

It has been the practice, for example, to run or cast magnesium into pigs or ingots weighing about five pounds each, such ingots being in the form of elongated bars substantially trapezoidal in cross section, with the taper toward What is herein referred to as the top faces of the bars. As cast, each full ingot has a transversely positioned notch or groove across its top face at about the middle point therealong to facilitate the separation of the whole into two approximately equal halves.

Frequently it is desirable to be able to handle, store and transport the ingots in groups or bundles rather than individually. In this condition '1 they are more adaptable to lifting and carrying by cranes and trucks with consequent reduction of manual effort and time consumed. And they are more adapted to bulk transportation. However, the satisfactory bundling of ingots has been difficult because of the tendency to become loose with handling or during shipment.

Metal ingots are usually very difficult to hold in groups or bundles. In the first place, the ingots, because of their rigidity and non-compressibility, cannot well be sprung or compressed as an aid to effecting and maintaining tightness of a bundle. In the second place, ingots are not uniform in size and shape and their surfaces are normally rough. This roughness is such that when the bars are placed in position for bundling all the high points on one bar do not fit into depressions on adjacent bars and during subsequent handling of bundles slight rearrangement of bars occurs which usually permits closer nesting of bars with the high points of one fitting more definitely in depressions in the other, with resulting looseness in the steel strap or other securing medium of the bundle. With inadequate tightening of the bundle, one or more of the ingots is likely to slip out of a bundle when it is tossed or thrown or lifted with the ingots vertical or when subjected to the jars, jolts and shifts of transporta- 4 Claims. (Cl. 206-435) and without any substantial danger that an ingot will slip out longitudinally even if looseness should develop in a bundle when handled or during transportation. For accomplishing this object, a plurality of ingots are arranged in par-- tial bundles orsub-units, held together by a flexible metal binder formed into a loop about some of the ingots of the sub-unit and engaging the notches of the ingots and tightened in a novel manner for holding the ingots of the sub-unit firmly in position, two or more of such sub-units being bound together to make up the complete bundle or whole unit.

In the preferred arrangement a partial bundle or sub-unit constitutes six ingots-two pairs with their broader bases abutting and spased apart to form, in effect, two inwardly converging channels-into which the two other ingots of the subgroup may be wedged-and a binder looped about the ingot pairs and tightened by the action of the other two ingots of the sub-unit wedged into the converging channels. In other Words, the loop of binder extends about the two ingot pairs of the sub-group while the other two or intermediate ingots of a sub-group are positioned outside of the loop but in wedging relationship between the ingot pairs positioned within the loop, such intermediate ingots beingpressed inwardly, by severe pounding or otherwise, for tightening the loop withrespect to the ingots. Pressure means-is then applied to the whole unit for holding the intermediate ingots from movement out of wedging relationship withthe sub-unit, such pressure means beingpreferably in the form of a flexible metal binder secured about one or two of the subeunitarrangements.

In the application of the flexible binders into position, they are preferably arranged in engagement with the transverse notches or grooves in the exposed top faces of'the ingots, serving thus substantially to bind the bundle structure as a whole so as to prevent separation of, theingots and the sub-units and undu relative movement longitudinally of the sub-units with respect to each other.

It is a further object of the invention to improve bundles and methods of producing the same in sundr details hereinafter pointed out. The preferred arrangement of the parts and the means by the use of which the method is preferably carried out are illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, in which: I

Fig. 1 isa side face view of an ingot of a type adapted to be bundled advantageously by my improved method;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view taken substantially at the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side view of a jig of a preferred form, partl broken away, having a plurality of ingots in position thereon for starting the formation of the improved bundle;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the ingots of Fig. 3 but with two additional ingots in position and with the end portions of the flexible binder connected together to form a loop;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the arrangement of Fig. 4 but with still another ingot added and with the parts in their final position for forming a sub-unit portion of a bundle;

Fig. 6 is an end view showing two sub-units of the type illustrated in Fig. 5 in position to receive a flexible binder thereabout and form a complete unit or bundle; and

Fig. 7 is an end view of a completed bundle.

Referring now to the several figures of the drawing, in which corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference characters, I indicates a magnesium ingot in the form of an elon gated bar tapering toward the fact which is herein for convenience described as the top face. As is shown in Fig. 1, the bar is provided with a transversely positioned notch or groove I I thereacross at about the mid point longitudinally of the bar. I

In Fig. 3, a jig I2 is shown comprising a base I3, and two standards I4 rising from the base at opposite ends thereof. Each of the standards I4' is provided with a notch in its top face portion, with one of .the faces of the notch disposed at a substantial angle from the horizontal, such inclined faces of the notches supporting a transversely-extending board or table I provided with thin cleats It at each end of the board and with thin blocks I8a thereon in spaced relation to each other at the ends of the table for supporting two bars in the desired positions thereon as hereinafter described.

In the preparation of a, bundle of bars or ingots upon the jig I2, a bar I! is first placed in position between the blocks I 6, after which a flexible metal binder strip I8 is laid across the bar in engagement with the notch II in the upper face of the bar. Two additional bars I9 and 20 are then placed in position at oppposite sides of the intermediate bar I! with the end portions of the binder I8 extending underneath such additional bars. The arrangement of the suppOrting faces of the standards I4 and table I5 at an angle from the horizontal is'such that the bars II, I9 and 28 normally settle into the desired fairly snug engagement with each other. As the next step of the process, (see Fig. 4) two additional bars 2| and 22 are placed in position in base to base relationship with the bars I9 and 28 respectively, after which the end portions of the binder I8 are connected together to'form a fairly loose loop about the bars I 9, 28, 2I and 22. In the arrangement shown, a connector 23 of any approved form is shown for effecting the connection of the end portions of the band or binder, which connector is adapted preferably to allow an increase in the loop length under suitable strain. A sixth bar 24 is then placed in position on the outer face of the binder I8 and is driven or otherwise forced downwardly toward the oppositely positioned intermediate bar I! so as to take up any slack in the loop binder I8. The bar 24, as it moves inwardly into position between the outer bars 2| and 22, has a wedging relationship with such outer bars so as to force them outwardly with respect to each other so as to increase slightly the distance between such outer bars.

The arrangement with respect to the initial size of the loop I8 and with respect to the initial position of the several bars is such that by the time the intermediate bar 24 reaches the position as shown in Fig. 5 by virtue of heavy pressure thereon, the loop I8 has been tightened and perhaps stretched slightly so as to cause the six bars as shown in said Fig. 5 to form a very compact and strong unit portion of a bundle.

After a unit bundle has been completed as just described, a second unit of the same description is formed in the jig directly above the first unit (see Fig. ,6), employing bars 25, 26, 21, 28, 29 and 30 and a flexible metal binder 3|, corresponding to the parts above described in connection with the unit as shown in Fig. 5. Means is then provided for holding the intermediate bar I1, 24, 25 and 30 from movement out of their wedging positions so as to maintain the loop binders I8 and 3I intheir fully'tighten ed condition. This means comprises preferably a third flexible binder 32 which is tightened in any suitable manner about the two unit bundles, with the binder 32 extending about the binders I8 and 3I and about all of the several bars of the two units. As is clearly shown in Fig. '7, the binder 32 engages the grooves or notches II of the outer bars of the top and bottom tiers of bars. In the course of the appli cation of the flexible binder 32 into tightened condition, the bars 28, 29 and 38 of the top tier of bars are preferably subjected to a severe pounding operation for insuring that the bundle as completed shall'be compact and solid.

It has been found in practice that with a bundle prepared in this manner the bars 'are held so as to prevent any objectionable amount of movement either laterally or longitudinally with respect to each other, so that the bundle can be handled and shipped with very little likelihood that it will become unserviceable under any normal conditions of hard usage. The arrangement is also such that it can be very easily and quickly worked out in connection with the bars to be bundled.

While the form and arrangement of bundle as illustrated and the method by which the bundle is produced are preferred, it is to be understood that the inven ion is not to be limited to such arrangement and method except so far as the claims may be so limited, since it is possible that changes might be made in the arrangement or the method without departing from the spirit of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a bundle, the combination of two upwardly tapered ingots arranged in base to base relationship to each other, two other upwardly tapered ingots elsoarranged in base to base relationship to each other and positioned in spaced relation to said first named ingots at one side thereof, said ingots being provided with aligned transverse notches thereacross at intermediate points thereon, a flexible binder in the form of a loop extending about said ingots and engaging said notches, two other upwardly tapered ingots interposed between said first named ingots and said second named ingots outside of said binder and having transverse notches in their top faces engaging said binder, said third mentioned ingots serving when pressed forcibly toward each other to tighten the binder strongly in interlaced position with respect to the several ingots, and means 9 Pl" e -9nd bin e t n n W91 S d first named binder and about the several ingots for holding said third named ingots pressed inwardly in tightening relationship to said first named binder.

2. In a bundle, the combination of a group arrangement of upwardly tapered bars and associated parts comprising two of said bars in base to base relationship to each other, two other such bars also in base to base relationship to each other and positioned in spaced relationship to said first named two bars at one side thereof, said bars being provided with aligned transverse notches thereacross at intermediate points thereon, a flexible binder in the form of a loop extending about said bars and engaging said notches, and two other such bars interposed between said first named two bars and said second named two bars outside of said binder and having transverse notches in their top faces engaging said binder, said third named two bars serving when pressed forcibly toward each other to tighten the binder strongly in interlaced position with respect to the several bars, a second group arrangement of upwardly tapered bars and associated parts comprising six other such bars and a second flexible binder formed and arranged as specified for said first named group arrangement and superposed upon said first named group arrangement, and a third flexible binder extending about said two group arrangements serving to hold the intermediate bars of both groups pressed inwardly in effective tightening relationship to said first named and said second flexible binders.

3. The method of forming a bundle of elongated bars tapering toward their top faces, which comprises assembling three such bars side by side on a supporting device at a substantial angle from the horizontal whereby the bars normally have snug engagement with each other, said three bars being arranged with the outer bars in inverted position with respect to the intermediate bar so as to provide a wedging relationship of the bars and with a flexible binder extending over theintermediate bar and under the outer bars, then placing two other such bars in base to base relationship with said outer bars, then connecting the end portions of the binder together above said bars to form a loop, then driving a sixth such bar downwardly above the binder into tight wedging relationship between said two other bars for tightening the loop, and then applying a second flexible binder about said first named binder and about said several bars and tightening said second binder for holding the intermediate bars in effective wedging position.

4. A bundle of objects of substantially trapezoidal cross section comprising an assembly of at least a pair of like sub-units, each sub-unit including at least two of the objects arranged to provide between them a tapering space, a subunit binder loop-ed about the two objects so arranged, and another of the objects fitting into and wedging the sub-unit binder into the tapering space; and a unit binder tightly looped about the assembly of sub-units.

JENNESS B. FREAR. 

